Blood In, Blood Out
by DiamondInThaRuff
Summary: Dean becomes a marked man after accidently releasing a trapped spirit.
1. Hangovers and Handshakes

Sam lazily clicked away at the laptop searching through recent news articles and local interest website. He was desperate to find anything supernatural sounding. He hadn't had a vision in awhile and had yet to hone the skill therefore they were useless at this point. It had been two weeks since their last hunt and while he was glad they had sent that spirit back to hell, and his ribs still hurt from the whammy it had put on him, he was starting to get anxious for another hunt. _Great,_ he thought, _I'm starting to act like Dean._ He glanced over at his sleeping brother who responded by pulling the covers up around his shoulders and rolling onto his side. Sam turned back to the computer and continued searching.

Suddenly a loud ring cut through the silence of the motel room causing Dean to spring up in bed and grab his head painfully. Sam laughed at the scene.

"Shit." Dean muttered to himself.

"Helpful hint," Sam smiled, "Never set your ringer to the loudest possible setting before going out and drinking."

"Yeah, I get it," Deanrasped shooting Sam a look, "Hangovers and loud phones don't mix." He reached over and grabbed the still ringing cell phone, flipped it open and was surprised to see the word 'Dad' looking back at him. His father almost never called. It was always text messages containing coordinates or random unexpected appearances.

"Dad." Dean said into the phone. This one word caught Sam's attention and he spun around in his seat and stared at Dean. Sam was hoping his father had a job for them. It was out of boredom more than anything else that had spawned this recent desire to kill every evil thing he could find. That and the fact that leads on the demon that had taken his mom and Jess were few and far between. Therefore, killing other evil creatures worked as a substitute and allowed him to release his frustrations and conceal them from Dean.

"What are the coordinate?" Dean asked into the phone as he looked around for something to write on. Sam handed Dean a piece of paper and a pen as he tried to contain the excitement at finally having a job to do. He watched as Dean scribbled down the coordinates. "Yeah, Dad I got it." Dean started to hang up but something his Dadsaid obviously drew Dean's attention back to the phone. His look changed from serious hunter to utterly confused. "You want us to meet up with who?"

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Dean slowed the Impala to a halt on the shoulder of a long forgotten road. He cut off the engine and looked around the area intently before glancing over at Sam who was staring out the front windshield and Dean could tell from his expression that a line of unanswerable question were about to be asked.

"Are you sure he said cousin?" Sam asked finally directing the question more towards the window than towards Dean.

"That's what he said." Dean cleared his throat and looked around again.

"But if this 'cousin'" Sam said the word skeptically, "is a hunter then how come we're never heard about him before?"

"I dunno Sammy. Maybe when you've missed every family reunion for the past 23 years, the family forgets to keep you updated."

"What was his name again?" Sam replied ignoring Dean's sarcasm.

Dean exhaled sharply, hating having to recount the conversation he's just had with his father. "All he said was there's a job that needs to be taken care of at this location. Then he said that our '_cousin_'" Dean showed the same skepticism towards the word as Sam had, "had been looking into it and needed some help." Dean shook his head. He'd never had any real family ties other than his mother, father and Sam, all of whom he was loyalty devoted to. However, all of them had left him at some point over the course of his life so his view on family was somewhat painful. He had acquired adopted Uncles and Aunts over the years through his fathers' ties to various persons involved in the supernatural but none of them had gained the love and loyalty that he had reserved for his blood family. And now came this alleged cousin.

"His name's Shane." Dean replied in response to Sam's original question.

"And we're related how?" Sam asked.

Dean sighed again, "Dad's brother I think." In all honestly he was still confused about having never met this cousin and why his father had never mentioned him until now. He knew his father had a brother, one whom neither Sam nor Dean had ever met and one that his father rarely spoke of.

Dean was staring out his side window and waiting for another question from Sam. When none came he grinned and turned to Sam "All out of questions, college boy?" Sam was staring straight ahead at something in the distance. Dean followed his gaze and saw a black SUV approaching.

"He's here." Came Sam's sullen response as he reached for the handle and exited the Impala. Dean did the same, leaning against the side of the car, arms crossed, and a cocky smile stretched across his face. Sam leaned beside him and watched as the car door slowly opened.

Dean and Sam watched as Shane exited the vehicle and slammed the door shut. Boththeir jaws dropped at the sight. Approaching them was a young woman about 5'3 with long brown hair, green eyes and a confident swagger that could rival Dean himself. She stopped about a foot in front of then and with a coy smile extended her hand.

"Hi, I'm Shane."

Dean slowly leaned into Sam, "Dude," he whispered into Sam's ear, "He's a she.


	2. She Who Devours

Dean stared at the extended hand like it was a foreign object. The delicate, freshly manicured hand wasn't at all what he had expected. Sam looked from Dean to Shane who was looking at Dean, obviously amused by his confusion. He quickly extended his hand and took Shane's, shaking it gently.

"Hi, I'm Sam," he said before gesturing at Dean, "Don't mind my brother. He's rude."

Shane smiled, "Hi, Sam. Hi, Rude. It's nice to meet you."

Dean smiled and pushed himself off the car. "So you're a hunter." He asked giving her the once over trying to hold back a laugh as he moved away from the car and into the abandoned street.

Shane nodded and followed Dean away from the car. "Something funny?" She asked. Sam remained were he was, watching the two with amusement.

"Yeah, something's funny," Dean replied, "You're bite sized."

"Really," Shane cocked her head staring at her newly acquired cousin turned adversary. "I could take you." She mused.

Dean let out a loud laugh as he looked over at Sam, "You hear this Sammy boy. She could tak…" But before he could finish the sentence he felt his head being snapped backwards by a hard punch to the jaw. He stumbled backwards stunned by the blow as he tried to shake off the pain emulating from his mouth. "What was that for!" He yelled at Shane who stood with her arms crossed, a smile on her lips.

"For being a smart ass." She replied.

Dean would hear Sam laughing and shot him a look that said 'shut up or I'll kick your ass' but the look didn't stifle Sam's amusement.

"Anyway," Shane cut in, "You wanna so this or what?"

Dean looked at her and shrugged. "I'll be back." She replied. Dean watched her walk away and envisioned himself running up behind her and tackling her to the ground, possibly given her a jab to the kidneys but then he composed himself and remembered that he didn't hit females unless they were demons, corporeal ghosts, or possessed. Aside from that fact, he also saw himself somewhat in Shane. The cockiness at least and he had a soft spot towards it. He knew why he viewed the world so cynically and figured if Shane did so for the same reason, then she must be masking a whole lot of hurt. He absently rubbed his jaw as he headed back over to the Impala and rested on the hood. He could see that Sam was still giggling slightly.

"Dude, you just got sucker punched by a girl." He grinned.

Dean shot him the same look as earlier as Shane head back over and tossed a manila folder onto the hood of the Impala. Sam walked over, placing himself strategically between Dean and Shane, and reached for the folder. Inside was a variety of news clippings and internet searches neatly printed, stapled and highlighted in the appropriate places. Sam mentally compared it to his fathers mess of a journal and concluded that either the girl had severe OCD and had to everything neat and orderly or she hadn't been a hunter for that long.

"By the way," Dean said remembering that he hadn't actually introducing himself to Shane, "It's Dean, not Rude."

"Could've fooled me" Shane smirked.

Dean shook his head, "So, what do we have?"

"There's a local legend." Shane began, "Saying that these woods are haunted by a creature named Asinaedo. In Latin it's very loosely translated into 'she who devours'. Legend has it, she used to lore local farmers out here, mark their skin," she pointed to a picture of a crudely drawn pentagram, "with that image, kill them, eat them, leaving behind only the part of the body containing the symbol." Shane paused to allowed the brothers to take all the information in. Then she continued, "Something like a hundred years ago a local priest came across this box." She flipped through the papers before revealing an illustrated image of a wooden box, no bigger than a shoebox with a cross etched on top. "He managed to trap the Asinaedo inside the box therefore cutting off its powers. Unfortunately, the townspeople caught him before he could finish the ceremony and being the wonderfully opened minded people they are, assumed the priest was the one behind all the killings and they burned him alive. They buried him and the box in those woods. Gotta love small towns right?"

Dean shot Sam a look, remembering their run in with the Benders and then looked at Shane and grinned, "My thoughts exactly." Then he looked back at the folder, "So, if the thing is trapped in a box then what's the problem? Is old priesty having some revenging killings?"

Shane shook her head, "No, because the ceremony wasn't complete, the Asinaedo has the opportunity to escape," She pointed to the newspaper clippings, "Every full moon, she can re-corporealize herself and have an all-you-can-eat-buffet."

Sam flipped through the articles and noticed that the dates when back more than thirty years, "This has been going on for 30 years?" He asked.

"Try 100," Shane replied, "The cops chalk it up to a Satanic Serial killer who apparently is over the age of 100. Talk about aging well. They know the history of the town and they just don't wanna admit that they fucked up."

"No offense sweetheart," Dean flipped the manila folder shut and looked at Shane smugly, "If you got all this figured out, and you're such a great hunter," He paused clasping his hand onto Sam's shoulder, "Then what do you need us for?"

"Well," Shane said returning the smug look, "The ceremony to destroy this bitch needs three people to be performed correctly and it's not like I can pick up the phone and call two of my old cheerleading buddies to come give me a hand sending a demon back to hell."

"You have cheerleading buddies." Dean grinned dumbly.

"Sarcasm," Shane deadpanned, "Anyway, so I called Uncle John and he directed me towards you two."

Dean flinched at the word 'Uncle' before his fathers name. Between talking about demons, ceremonies and getting punched in the face he had almost forgot that this girl was supposedly related to him.

"Wait," Sam's voice interrupted Dean's thoughts, "If you need three people to perform this ceremony then how was the priest able to do it?"

"You religious?" Shane asked.

Sam shrugged his shoulders, "I guess," He honestly wasn't sure anymore.

"You know about the Holy Trinity?" Sam nodded, "Well, the priest was a religious instrument because he was ordained and therefore he could act as the Holy Trinity himself." Sam was still confused but he nodded anyway. "Now, I'm sure all of us here are sinners therefore we need a little extra help. Each of us will act as a metaphoric point of the Holy Trinity."

"I get to be God!" Dean called out which earned him a sharp jab in the ribs from Sam.

Shane laughed. Dean was pleased; he had obviously started to grow on the girl. Even though he wasn't scared he just wasn't in the mood to get punched anymore by his own cousin. The word was thought with less bitterness now. Maybe she was starting to grow on him too.

­­­­­

Twenty minutes later Dean, Sam and Shane found themselves trekking through the woods searching for the box containing the Asinaedo. Both Sam and Dean swept the surrounding area with EMF meters hoping that the box would give off a reading.

"This is ridiculous." Dean stopped short and threw up his arms, "These woods are huge. Don't you think we should split up, cover more ground?"

"Yeah, 'cause that always goes well in scary movies." Shane muttered as she continued to look around.

"Couldn't you have found the box and then had us meet you here." Dean protested.

"I did the hard work," Shane rebutted, "All I'm asking is for you to walk your ass into some woods and find a box."

Before the two could continue their banter they heard Sam's voice in the distance, "Guys! Over here!"

Dean had been so focused on fighting with Shane that he hadn't even noticed that Sam wasn't standing with them anymore. He looked at Shane and then began to jog towards Sam's voice as Shane quickly followed suit.

Sam was standing next to a small rock formation that could easily pass for a makeshift grave-marker. His EMF meter was sounding like crazy as he switched it off and glanced up, "I think I found it."

Shane nodded and began to unload her bag. She pulled out a leather bound book and a bottle of holy water.

"Light packer?" Dean smirked.

"It's all I need." Shane replied as she stood up and began shouting orders. "Dean, you stand here. Sam, over here." She placed each brother cattycorner of the stone formation and then sprinkled some holy water between them. She then took her place at the other end, in order to form the trinity and sprinkled the remaining holy water between her and the brothers. "She's not gonna be happy." She warned then, receiving understanding nods. "I say a phrase, you repeat." She explained. Again, she received the nods.

As she began the ceremony she felt the wind grow cold around her but she didn't stop. After she was about five lines in she felt the ground begin to shake. _Shit_, was her first thought, _she's awake_. But, before she could react she felt the book being ripped from her hands as an invisible hand forced her to the ground. "Shane!" She heard someone shout but she wasn't sure who. Everything sounded quieter and she felt her head begin to throb. And then it stopped.

Sam watched as the book was turn from Shane's hands. He tried to run towards her but he found that his feet weren't listening to what his brain told them to do. He looked over at Dean and found him in the same predicament. He looked back at Shane who was now on the ground staring upwards, her breathing appearing to be labored. "Shane!" He yelled as she closed her eyes.

"Shit!" Dean yelled as he tried to force his legs to move. But it was to no avail. Sam watched as his brother was hurled forward by the same invisible hand that had taken down Shane. Dean's head connected with the rock formation in front of him with a loud thud. Before Sam even had a chance to call out his brother's name he found himself being flung backwards, connected with a tree and landing in a heap.


	3. Marked Man

Shane's eyes fluttered open. She was mildly confused at the sight of tree tops and the tiny glimpses of sky staring down at her. Then, as if someone had hit the rewind button, it all came rushing back. She slowly regained her stream of consciousness and rose to her feet. The book which she had been reciting from was thrown haphazardly to her left. She reached down to get it and then quickly glanced up when she felt a cold breeze.

She circled the stone formation but was stopped short when she saw Dean lying motionless, his right forearm being gripped tightly by the Asinaedo, her lips pressed against his. Shane knew that she had to get the Asinaedo away from Dean but attempting to physically attack the Asinaedo would be useless because without the full moon she wouldn't be corporeal. So instead she quickly flipped through the pages of the book looking for a spell to subdue her. Unfortunately, the rustling of the pages was enough to catch the Asinaedo attention. She lifted her head and looked up at Shane with a smile before releasing Dean's arm and disappearing in a mist of smoke.

Shane quickly ran to Dean and knelt done beside him. She noticed the blood trickling from the fresh cut on his forehead and immediately looked around for what had inflicted the wound. She exhaled sharply as she saw a smearing of blood on the rock formation to Dean's left.

"Shit," she muttered to herself, "blood in."

She grabbed Dean's right wrist and lifted it so she could see what kind of damage the Asinaedo had done. On the inside of his forearm was the image of a pentagram burnt into his flesh. The skin had already begun to heal but the outlining of the pentagram was raised slightly indicating its desire to be seen. Shane shook her head. _Shit._

"Dean!" she heard Sam calling from the other side of the rock formation. She had been so caught up in checking on Dean that she had forgotten to look to see if Sam was alright. But indicating from the fact that he could still verbalize his brothers name Shane surmised that Sam was clearly okay.

"Over here." She called back to him and then refocused her attention on Dean. "Dean!" She said sharply as she gently shook him. "Dean!" she called again but he remained unresponsive. She felt Sam kneel down next to her as she shook Dean again. This time Dean slowly opened his eyes and stared up at them.

"Hey, Dean" Sam said with concern as he raised two fingers in front of Dean's face, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Dean, not in the mood to be babied smugly replied "How many am I holding up?" But as he attempted to raise his middle finger he became aware of the burning sensation in his arm. He glanced at his forearm, which was still being held out by Shane, and noticed the image of a pentagram charred into it. "What did you do to me?" he asked Shane who looked down and noticed that she was still holding Dean's wrist. She dropped it and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, not only am I trained hunter but I'm also an amateur tattoo artist." She sarcastically replied and shot him a look. "I didn't do this to you." She got up and allowed Sam to help Dean to his feet. "We gotta get outta here." She replied glancing from Dean's bloodied forehead to the blood glistening off the rock formation. "She'll be back."

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She watched the three hunters leave. She smiled as the older one inspected her handiwork on his arm. She only wished the female hadn't interfered. She could still taste him on her lips. She needed more time with him, needed to get him alone. Soon enough, he would be hers.

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About half an hour after the failed exorcism, 15 minutes of which consisted of Dean yelling at Shane for not being properly prepared, Shane telling Dean that if he didn't shut up she'd scar his other arm, and Sam attempting to play peacemaker, the three had managed to get back to the small motel room.

"I don't get." Dean said as he rubbed the mark on his arm and winced in pain as Shane attempted to patch up his forehead. "If the Ason-, Asi-, Asso-"

"Asinaedo." Shane and Sam responded in unison.

"Yeah, whatever." Dean replied, "If this demon bitch marks her prey and then kills them, then why didn't she kill me?" Then he remembered what Shane had told him the Asinaedo had done. "Why did she kiss me?" He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the mental image of the creepy spirit bitch putting her lips on his.

Sam stopped the researching he had been so diligently working on and turned towards Dean, "Hey, spirit chicks need love too." He laughed.

Dean shook his head. "So, not only did she kiss me while I was out cold but she gave me this scar too. I feel violated." Dean replied bitterly. Sam laughed but Shane, who had more knowledge of the Asinaedo, understood the severity of the situation.

"It's not a scar it's a mark." She replied as she tossed the bloodied cloths into the nearby trashcan.

"Scar. Mark. What's the difference? I still look like an animal sacrificing, Devil worshiping, cult member with this thing on my arm." Dean replied.

"No, you don't get it." Shane took a seat on Sam's unoccupied bed, "You're a marked man, Dean. Marked as in death's gonna come a-knockin'." Shane paused, "Well, technically the Asinaedo gonna come a-knockin' and she'll be looking for more of a ritualistic sacrifice then just plain old death. But, I guess technically the outcome's the same, right?" She noticed that the rhythmic clicking of keys from Sam's laptop had stopped. Her rant had obviously caught him off guard and she looked up to see both him and Dean staring at her with wide eyes. "Oh, you don't do technicalities?" She asked apologetically realizing that she probably shouldn't have voiced their current situation so callously. "Sorry."

Silence filled the room for a good thirty seconds before Sam slowly asked, "What do you mean sacrifice?" He attempted to make eye contact with Shane who continued to look around the room, ignoring Sam's question. "Shane," Sam said rising from his seat and positioning himself in front of Shane who was forced to stand up herself in order to gain a more even stand off between her and Sam. "You said that the Asinaedo killed her victims after marking them and then ate them. That's not your typical ritual sacrifice. So either you don't know the difference between a demonic killing versus a demonic sacrifice, or you're not telling us something."

Dean walked over and stood beside his brother, leaving Shane feeling cornered and she decided the best course of action would be honesty. "Okay, fine." Shane said raising her hands and backing away from the ambush. "The box doesn't have a keyhole. Once it's closed, it's closed for good. Except of course if the Asinaedo can find a victim she can bleed which will open the box and release her spirit…for good."

"So, why me?" Dean asked. "Is it my ruggedly handsome good looks? I mean, it would explain the kiss."

Sam was in no mood for Dean's I-laugh-in-the-face-of-danger act. "Why didn't she use on of her other victims?" Sam asked ignoring Dean's remark.

Shane paused for a second. She knew that she had accidentally walked the brothers into this situation. Dean was right. If it wasn't for her eagerness to destroy the Asinaedo and move on she would have been better prepared. Suddenly, a stream of suppressed memories came rushing back. She turned her back on the brothers attempting to bite back the memories without breaking down in front of them. She had to play the strong hunter, otherwise her mask would be ripped away and there'd be no controlling the emotions that would be unleashed. She took a deep breath and continued to explain. "She needed someone to bleed directly on the box, which Dean did by bashing his head on the rock formation."

"The bitch pushed me." Dean shot back.

"Blood in, blood out." Shane continued, slowly turning back around and looking at Dean, "Dean put the blood in and now the Asinaedo is going to do whatever she can to get the rest of the blood out."

"Great," Dean shook his head, "So, I'm a marked man."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Shane said with exasperation.

"Anything else you'd like to tell us?" Sam asked, receiving a blank stare from Shane, "I mean you seem to know so much about this demon yet somehow you manage to leave out the information we need until we drag it out of you."

"I was keeping you on a need to know basis." Shane replied.

"We need to know this, Shane!" Sam said placing his hands on Shane's shoulders, holding her steady, "Dean's life is in danger! Now, is there anything else we need to know!" He gave Shane a little shake which prompted Shane to pull back and Dean to grab his brother's arm.

"Sam," Dean replied sternly causing Sam to release his grip on Shane. Shane continued to stare up at Sam, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"You know everything that I know." She replied through clenched teeth. She then pushed past Sam and left the motel room, slamming the door behind her.

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"Nice car." Sam said as he slid into the front seat of Shane's Cadillac Escalade. Shane was seated in the drivers' seat, her head leaning against the headrest with her eyes closed.

"Thanks," she replied without opening her eyes, "But, it's not mine."

"Whose is it?"

Shane opened her eyes slowly, reached across Sam and into the glove compartment, removing the owner's card. "Tyrone Campbell's." She said studying the name carefully. She turned her head to look at Sam, "He lost it in a poker game two days ago." She grinned.

Sam laughed. He was beginning to become more and more convinced that she was a Winchester as the day wore on. "Listen," Sam wasn't sure how to start the conversation, "About what happened inside…"

"No worries." Shane cut him off, "You're worried about your brother. We all act kinda crazy when it comes to our family's safety." Shane casually glanced out the window but Sam noticed how the words 'family' and 'safety' had caught slightly in her throat. He watched her for a minute, debating whether or not he should pry. Going against his better judgment he decided to pry.

"Where is your family? I mean your immediate family." He asked finally.

Shane sighed. Her desire to have this conversation was up there with her desire to be flayed alive. "Gone." She said refusing to look at Sam.

"How?" Sam asked.

Shane turned to him, smiling slightly, "Anyone ever told you that curiosity killed the cat?"

"If you don't wanna talk about it-"

Shane raised her hand and cut him off, "No, it's fine." She had never been able to be honest about her past. She had become so familiar with the web of lies that she spewed off to friends, boyfriends and the occasional stranger that sometimes when she was alone, she allowed herself to believe that the lies were true. That her mother had died of a heart attack and her father had been killed by a burglar. Maybe venting the truth to someone who would understand and not go screaming into the distance would be good for her. That being said, it was still going to be hard.

"My mom died when I was 6 months old." She looked Sam directly in his eyes and the understanding was mutual. The demon had taken her mother too. "My dad wasn't as up front as yours though. Heart attack he told me. I was 15 when I found a newspaper article that said my mother had died in a house fire. I confronted my dad and he told me that he wasn't sure what had really happened that night. He had lied to me because he didn't want me to end up like his crazy brother and nephews. Apparently, fours years before my mother died, my Aunt had died the same way and my Uncle and his sons believed that a 'demon' had killed her. That's the first time I heard about the three of you."

Shane stopped. The façade she had been building up over the years was slowly being deconstructed and she felt more exposed then she had ever felt before. She took a deep breath and continued. "I did some research and found out that the things that go bump in the night aren't just stories to scare kids. That's basically when I started hunting. I pulled a Buffy. High school student by day, demon slayer by night. My dad never asked about the unexplained cuts and bruises and bloody clothes. In reality, I don't think he wanted to know. Two years later though, when I was 17, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I left a job unfinished and let a werewolf catch my scent. It followed me home and before I had a chance to kill it, it killed my father and left me with this," she lifted her shirt up slightly revealing three parallel lines scarred into her side directly above her hip. "At his funeral, I finally met my Uncle John and he told me that if I never needed anything to contact him. Day after that, I dropped out of school and this has been my career ever since."

Shane stopped talking and Sam sat in silence next to her. It was strange to hear what his life could have been like had his father not taken the path he had. Had he not had Dean. He wanted to say he was sorry that she had to go through all that alone. He wanted to hug her and tell that he understood her pain. But instead the only thing he could get out was, "Damn."

Silence filled the car again as Shane nodded absently at having just told her life story to a man who was practically a stranger. _He's your cousin_, she reminded herself. _He's family_.

But, before either of them had the opportunity to break the awkward silence a scream rang out from the motel room. A sound that Sam was all too familiar with.

"Dean!"


	4. Babysitting

In a matter of seconds Sam was out of the car and barreling towards the motel room door. His years of experience gave him a clear advantage over Shane, who upon hearing the scream began to search around clumsily for something in the car. Sam pushed open the motel room door and slid into the room only to have his heart jump up to his throat at the sight before him.

The Asinaedo had Dean pinned to the bed, her legs straddling his hips, her hand forcing his face to the side so that it was impossible for Sam to see his brothers expression. The Asinaedo had her face pressed against Dean's ear and Sam could see she was mouthing something into it. If Sam didn't know any better he would have assumed that he's stumbled across Dean during the early stages of one of his many sexual endeavors. But because he did know better he was extremely alarmed, especially at the fact that Dean was showing no signs of struggle and Sam had no way of knowing whether he was even conscious. What had happened between the time of Dean's scream to the time Sam entered the motel room that had made his brother stop fighting?

"Dean!" Sam yelled as he tried rushed to his brothers' aide only to find that, like when they were in the woods, his legs wouldn't budge. "Get away from my brother!" he cried, angry with his body for not doing what it should be doing at a time like this. The Asinaedo looked up at the paralyzed brother of her victim, smiled then turned her attention back to Dean. Seconds later Sam felt someone crash into the back of him and then witnessed as a small glass vile was hurled across the room, colliding with the Asinaedo with such force that the bottle shattered on impact. The Asinaedo reeled backwards, her back arched as she cried out in pain. She spun around and gave the two occupants of the doorway a cold stare before she disappeared into thin air.

Sam's mobility returned and he quickly ran to his brothers' side. When he shifted Dean's head he fully expected to see his brother unconscious but was startled to see Dean staring up at him, a puzzled look on his face. "Dude," Dean said pushing Sam's hands away from his face, "What the hell was that?"

"You were awake?" Sam asked as he pulled Dean into a seated position on the edge of the bed. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I couldn't." He said rubbing the side of his face that had been exposed to the Asinaedo, a look of disgust plastered on his face. "I thought she was gonna stick her tongue in my ear. Any other girl and I wouldn't have minded but I'll pass on the kinkiness from the demon chick. It's just not my style."

Sam would have laughed at his brothers' remark had his confusion not taken priority over Dean's wisecracking. "Why couldn't you move?"

Dean shrugged, "You couldn't either." He pointed out, "Maybe the bitch has some kind of ability to paralyze people."

Sam nodded. Great, not only could this thing materialize without being detected, but it would freeze them in place making them defenseless against her. Then Sam remembered Shane crashing into his back. He glanced back at her noticing that she was still standing by the open motel room. "What did you throw at her?"

"Holy water." Shane said as she closed the motel room behind her, realizing that any passerby could easily eavesdrop on their conversation and depending on what they heard or saw it could land all three of them in a mental institution. "I didn't really know if it'd work but I figured it was worth a shot."

Sam nodded, grateful at her quick thinking, noting that next time he would be prepared with not only a rock salt loaded shotgun but also a bottle of holy water, just in case. "What was she saying to you?" he asked redirecting his attention back to Dean.

Dean shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing."

"Dean, she was clearly moving her lips. You're telling me that she wasn't saying anything?"

"Not that I could hear."

"That doesn't make any sense," Sam moved over to his laptop, preparing to do some research before he realized that he had no idea what he was looking for. The last time he had attempted to research the Asinaedo he had gotten random search results, none of which had anything to do with a demon that lived in the woods and ate farmers. _Lived in the woods._ He turned to Shane. "I thought you said this thing didn't leave the woods."

"I never heard of it leaving." Shane replied her attention focused on the manila folder full of her research that was strewn on Sam's bed. She crossed the room and began to absently flip through it, hoping to find something to answer any of these questions.

Sam stood up and headed for the door. "I'm going into town to do some research. I think there's something we missed."

Dean stood up, "I'll go with you."

"No," Sam stopped, his hand hanging loosely on the doorknob, "You stay here," Sam paused and gestured with his chin towards Shane, "with Shane."

Dean glanced over at Shane who had her arms crossed in front of her, confused eyes trained on Sam. Dean grabbed Sam's arm and pulled him towards the corner, "Dude, I do not need a babysitter!"

"The Asinaedo only seems to attack you when you're alone or me and Shane are unconscious so the way I see it," Sam pulled his arm out of Deans grasp, "you do."

"Dude, I've been doing this my whole life. I do not need Little Ms. Shane the Demon Slayer here to keep me safe." His voice came out in a sharp whisper, "She's not even old enough to drink. How am I supposed to get into a bar with her tagging along?"

"One hour Dean. I'll be back in one hour."

"And for one hour you're gonna leave me here with-" Dean's eyes drifted to Shane who was watching them with a raised eyebrow.

"The female version of you." Sam cut in, grinning.

Dean furrowed his eyebrows and pushed his head back slightly as if saying, excuse me. But Sam just laughed, "You'll live," he said as he reached for the doorknob again. "Oh and Dean," he paused, "Be gentle with her. She's had some hard times." And with that Sam was gone leaving Dean standing in the corner staring at the closed door in front of him.

He bit his lower lip before slowly turning and shooting a stiff smile in Shane's direction. "So," he said calmly, "How 'bout them Yankees?"

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Sam leafed through the pile of papers in front of him. The local library had little to offer in regards to material on the paranormal but he had found some interesting local interest stories. A few years back a farmer claimed that his rooster had saved him from a house fire by crowing at 3 in the morning which woke the farmer and allowed him to escape the house before it was engulfed in flames. A year after that a local girl had gotten a small part in a Quentin Tarantino film and had become a local hero. None of this of course was pertinent to the issue at hand and Sam was beginning to feel discouraged.

He glanced at his watch. He had been gone for almost two hours. He knew he had told Dean he'd only be an hour but he refused to give up this search. It was him, after all, who had been so eager for a hunt. Now, if felt as if his brother's life was in his hands. It was his fault his brother had been marked by a demon spirit. Just as Sam was prepared to tip over the table and possibly punch a wall out of frustration, a three ring binder caught his eye. It was hanging off one of the rows of books and he wasn't sure why he hadn't seen it before. He rose from his seat and picked it up. There was a thin piece of masking tape stretched across the front with the words "Local Legends" written in black marker.

He flipped it open and saw the yellowing pages of a number of news clippings each documenting one of the "Full Moon Murders" as they were being called. The clippings resembled the clippings that Shane had shown them earlier that day. There was even a clipping detailing the account of the priest who had been blamed for the original murders and had been killed. Someone had done their research.

He continued to flip through the pages until he came across and a piece of paper that stood out from the rest. The page looked like it had been ripped out of an ancient text book, the kind of text book that John used to force the boys to read as kids. He skimmed the page quickly, absorbing the information. He glanced around before sliding the page out of its protective sleeve and slipping it into his pocket. That would come in handy later. But first, he had to call Dean.

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"Shit!" Shane exclaimed as she rummaged through the mess of clothes and old food containers littering the floor of the motel room. Where the hell were her car keys? She glanced out the window and froze. Her car, which had previously been parked in front of the motel room window, was now missing. As was her cousin. The last thing she remembered was play fighting with Dean about a basketball game they had happened upon while flipping channels. Halfway into the fight, Shane's eyelids began to grow heavy and before long she was sound asleep. When she woke up Dean was gone.

Her first instinct was to panic. Obviously the Asinaedo had come back while she was sleeping. But now that Shane saw that her car was gone she was more than confident that Dean had skipped out on her and had found his way to some dive-bar along the interstate. And as soon as she found him she was going to thoroughly kick his ass.

A loud ringing caught her attention as she spun around to look at Dean's bed. _Great_, she thought, _not only did the genius leave without as little as a word but he also forgot his phone_. She grabbed the phone and saw Sam's name flashing across it.

"Hello?" Shane replied slightly hesitant.

"Shane?" She heard Sam ask, "Where's Dean?"

"He, ummm," Shane paused, debating on what to say, "He's...not here."

"Where is he?" Sam asked and Shane could detect a hint of panic in his voice.

"I'm not actually sure. But, don't worry, he wasn't kidnapped or anything like that. He, uh, well I fell asleep and when I woke up, he was gone, my car was gone-"

Sam cut her off abruptly, "So, you lost my brother?"

"Lost? No, no. I lost track of your brother. That's all." She heard Sam begin to say something but she continued before he had a chance to interject, "I'm gonna go look for him right now. Don't panic. I'll call when I find him." She hung up, grabbed her coat, shoving the phone into her pocket and headed out into the night. _I'm so gonna kick his ass._

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After half an hour, three bars, twelve cheesy pick-up lines, and six sexual propositions, Shane was beginning to lose patience. As she entered the fourth bar her nostrils were attacked by the smell of cigarette smoke and cheap whiskey. This was going to be fun, she thought sarcastically.

As soon as her eyes adjusted to the smoky room, something in the corner caught her eye. There, sitting in a booth with his arm wrapped around a drunk looking blonde girl, was Dean. She grinned to herself as a plan began to brew in her head. Yes, this was going to be fun.

She advanced towards the table, strategically moving herself out of Dean's line of sight and into his blind spot. As she approached she saw Dean whispering something into the girl's ear. She took this as the perfect opportunity to slam her fist onto the table causing both Dean and his female friend to jump a little.

"Sha-" Dean attempted to smile but Shane cut him off.

"Where have you been?" She yelled, attracting the gaze of a few bystanders. "You're supposed to be watching our son and you run off to the bar!"

Dean's eyes grew wide with surprise, "What the he-" He was cut off again by Shane launched another series of false accusations.

"I should not have to come home from a double shift to find Dean Jr. crying on the floor while you're out getting drunk with some," Shane gestured rudely at the woman who had begun to slide away from Dean, "hoochie."

Dean glanced apologetically at the woman next to him and then excused himself from the table, grabbed Shane's arm and pulled her away from the crowd of prying eyes. Shane was biting her bottom lip in an attempt to control her impending fit of laughter but exploded into giggles when they were clearly out of ear shot of the bar-goers. She looked up and saw Dean's angry expression. She quickly stifled her laughter but continued smiling.

"What the hell was that?" Dean hissed.

Shane's smile faded. Playtimes over, she thought, time for some ass kicking. She reached out landing a hard punch to Dean's shoulder. Dean took a step back, wondering why he was being hit instead of the one doing the hitting. It was his game that had been stepped all over. He reached out to push Shane back but she caught his arm, spun him around and shoved him, face first against the wall, his arm twisted behind his back.

"You were supposed to stay put. I wake up and you're gone," She gave him a hard shove into the wall before releasing his arm. He spun around and gaped at her. "And," she continued, landing a swift kick to the shin, "my car is missing."

"Ow!" Dean cried out, through clenched teeth. He knew that if he really wanted to, he could take Shane down in a matter of seconds but instead of inflicting bodily harm he figured that subduing her would be in his and her best interest. He noticed Shane's balled up fists and before she could land another blow he grabbed her wrists and pushed her firmly against the wall. "1.) Stop. Hitting. Me. 2.) I'm an adult and if I wanna go to the bar, I can."

"Not when you have a demon stalker after you. I think that's an exception to the 'I'm an adult I can do what I want' rule." He released Shane's wrists and shook his head. "Fine." He said gestured towards the bathroom, "Just let me take a leak and then we can go back to the joy of sitting in the motel room, waiting for Sammy to finish his research." He replied sarcastically.

Shane nodded, "Good. But, uh, we're gonna have to sneak out the back because there's a cab waiting out front and I think I owe him about $100." Dean nodded with a smile and starting walking towards the bathroom.

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As Dean was about to walk into the bathroom the woman he had been sitting with leaned out from seemingly nowhere and put her arm across the doorway, blocking Dean's entrance.

"Hey-" Dean said with a smile as he tried to remember her name.

The woman, seeing Dean's mental struggle, smiled and replied meekly, "Angela."

"Right, Angela," Dean smiled dumbly, "About that thing in there." Dean wasn't sure how to explain it. "She's my cousin." Dean stopped when he noticed Angela's disgusted expression, "No, no, no, no," He said waving his arms in front of him, "Not like that. We don't have a kid, she was just mad 'cause we were uh," Dean stopped for a second, "gonna go to the movies tonight," he lied, happy at how easily the lie had come. "She's just mad 'cause I ditched her to come here. And meet you." He added with a smile. Angela returned the smile and then took Dean's hand in hers.

"Well, in that case," she said leading Dean towards the back door of the bar, "I wanna show you something." Dean glanced back to see if Shane could see him and was pleased to see that her back was to him. Five minutes wouldn't hurt he reasoned with himself as he turned back to face Angela. As soon as he saw the look on Angela's face he regretted his last statement. Five minutes, indeed could hurt him. He looked and saw that gripped in Angela's right hand was a 9 mm handgun. Before Dean had a chance to react she swung the butt of the gun at Deans' head and everything went black.

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The music in the bar was so loud that Shane hardly realized that Dean's phone was ringing in her pocket.

"Hello?" She shouted into it.

"Shane?" Sam called back, raising his voice to match hers. "Did you find him?"

"Yeah," Shane yelled, "He was at a bar."

"A bar?" Sam asked, his voice filled with concern, "Listen, Shane. I found something out about the Asinaedo. Once she has a victim marked, the mark acts like a tracking device and allows her to follow the victim. That explains how she was able to leave the woods."

Shane pressed a finger to her free ear in an attempt to block out the excessive noise from the bar, "Sam, I can barely hear you." She yelled.

Sam raised his voice, "I found something about this 'Blood In, Blood Out' thing too. Once she's found the victim, she needs a human host in order to complete the 'Blood Out' part of the ceremony. The Asinaedo can't speak. She needs the host to speak the written part of the 'Blood Out' ceremony in order for it to work but she can only possess a host on the night of a full moon."

Shane was nodding as she absorbed the information. Suddenly the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Human host- the girl in Dean's booth, Full Moon- tonight.

"Shit." She hissed into the phone as she broke into a half-run towards the bathroom. She was about to start pounding on the door when she noticed a small blood stain on the floor outside of the bathroom door. _Shit._ She barged through the room, ignoring the protests of the three swaggering men at the urinals. None of which were Dean. She then slammed open each stall door, finding them all empty.

"Um, Sam." She said into the phone as she felt panic begin to set in. "I think I did lose him this time."


	5. Planning a Rescue

Sam raced back to the motel as fast as the Impala would allow him to go. This wasn't the first time his brother had gone missing on a hunt. This wasn't the first time that Sam had found himself in a panic induced state worrying about his brothers' safety. This was however, a first for Shane. Sam had heard the panic in her voice and instinctively urged her to calm down even though his own ability to remain calm was still in question. Unfortunately for him he was now thrown into the big brother role and was being taken on a journey through what life must have been like for Dean during their childhood. He remembered all those times when their father had gone MIA on a hunt and Dean had to reassure Sam that everything would be okay. Now he was regurgitating the same sentiments for Shane's sake and he definitely wasn't enjoying the responsibility. All it did was make his desire to find Dean that much more intense.

He flew into the parking lot of the motel and saw Shane's Escalade parked in the same spot as when he had left. He felt a false glimmer of hope, thinking that maybe this was just some kind of cruel joke that Shane and Dean were playing on him. Maybe Dean was sitting safely inside the motel room laughing at his brother's expense. That is until he saw Shane pacing nervously in front of the motel room door. She was twiddling with a screwdriver but stopped when she saw Sam whip the Impala into the parking spot in front of her, its headlights illuminating her look like a trapped deer, stoic but frozen.

"What's that for?" Sam said, gesturing at the screwdriver, as he jumped out of the Impala and started heading for the motel room door.

"I, uh, had to hotwire my truck. Dean had," Shane paused, cursing herself for using the past tense, completely aware that it wasn't necessary, "Dean _has_ my keys."

Sam nodded, glancing from the Escalade to Shane's worried face before placing his hand on her shoulder and leading her into the motel room. He had to grab a few supplies and organize a plan before they headed out. Sam concluded that if the Asinaedo intended to do the sacrifice tonight she would have to bring Dean back to the rock formation in the woods. Shane had said it first and his research had verified that while the bleeding in of the victim could be done in the general vicinity of the box, the bleeding out had to be done directly onto the box. He glanced at his watch, it was getting late. They had to move fast.

Sam could see Shane out of the corner of his eye, mimicking his actions of stuffing a bag full of assorted supplies: a rock salt filled shotgun, holy water, crucifix, rope, knives of various sizes, and the book which she had used before. All the items but the holy water and book were being borrowed from either him or Dean's bag but Sam didn't mind. He remembered Shane's confident 'It's all I need' argument prior to the failed ceremony earlier in the day. As he watched her pack the bag full of supplies he almost smiled at realizing that she was learning from her mistakes. But his desire to save his brother was stronger than his desire to pat Shane on the back so he refocused his attention and continued packing.

He zipped the bag shut, slipped it onto his shoulder and turned to see Shane already at the motel room door looking back at him. "I'm sorry." Shane said looking Sam square in the eye. Sam was mildly taken aback by the statement.

He shook his head as he opened the door and held it open for Shane to exit, "For what?" he asked, already prepared for Shane's response. When Dean had gone missing on one of their hunts he had felt the same guilt. When Dean had gotten hurt because of a mistake Sam had made, he had felt that guilt. And now he saw that guilt written all over Shane's face.

"I should've watched him better." She said as she tossed her bag next to Sam's in the back seat and then slide into the passengers' seat. "I should've-"

"Should've what?" Sam snapped. "Should've tied him to the bed? Knocked him on the head and dragged him back the motel?" Sam was in no mood for this conversation. His mind was focused on finding Dean and destroying this demon bitch. As far as he was concerned Dean was still alive and kicking and they should be speeding towards a rescue, not sitting in the parking lot playing the blame game.

Sam glanced over at Shane's distraught face. He knew he wasn't making this situation any better. "Dean's a big boy. He can handle himself." The statement was said to not only to ease Shane's concern but also his own. He knew his brother's strengths and he knew his brother could handle this situation. But that didn't mean he wanted him in the situation to begin with. "You made a mistake, Shane. Dean made a mistake. Hell, even I made a mistake but you know what?" He grabbed Shane's arm forcing her to direct all her attention towards him, "That Asinaedo made a mistake too. She pissed off the Winchesters. And now," he turned the key in ignition shattering the silence of the night, "the bitch is gonna pay for it." With that he gunned the engine and sped off into the night.

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Dean's head throbbed as he forced his eyes open. The last thing he remembered was walking to the bathroom and now as his eyes slowly adjusted to the sight before him, he saw that he was sitting in the middle of a darkened forest with a distinct feeling of wetness dripping down the side of his face. Blood. Something had reopened the wound on his forehead.

He tried to raise his hand to wipe away the blood that was threatening to drip into his eyes but found that his arms were unable to move. His hands were pinned behind his back and bound tightly around the base of a tree. _Great,_ he thought to himself, _not only am I in the middle of nowhere but I'm tied to a tree._ He jerked as his binds only to find that with every pull the ropes tightened around his wrists. Under any other circumstances he would have had his trusty knife tucked safely up his sleeve so as to cut himself free. Unfortunately, he hadn't taken into account the possibility of being abducted from a bar and had therefore left the knife back at the motel.

"Finally awake?" he heard a female voice coo from behind him.

Dean was startled by the voice. He hadn't expected to alone but he also hadn't expected to hear the soft, unthreatening voice of a woman. He slowly started to remember the girl in the bar, talking with Shane, and then the gun slamming against his head. He would take a good old fashioned bar fight over this any day.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Dean said straining to catch a glimpse of the woman behind him, "Angie, was it? But a blow to the head tends to make you a little sleepy. And as a side note," he started pulling at the ropes, "if you wanted to get freaky, you could've just told me." He grinned to himself slightly. Until he could come up with a legitimate plan maintaining a cocky exterior was the only way he knew to give himself an inkling of control in a situation like this.

He heard a slight giggle from behind him and then felt his forearm being grabbed and twisted awkwardly so the scarred pentagram was exposed. He winced as the rope rubbed against his exposed wrist. "That scar came in nicely, didn't it?" Angela laughed and then almost as a casual after thought she tightened her grip. Dean bit his lower lip, stifling a groan as her nails dug into his arm. "Don't," she whispered into his ear, her grip held firm, "Call me Angie." She released Dean's arm and took a step forward finally allowing Dean to see her completely. She looked at Dean and then lifted her hand, staring thoughtfully at her fingernails which were now stained with Dean's blood. Dean watched in disgust as she slowly began licking the blood off of each nails.

_Leave it to me to pick the crazy ones_, Dean thought to himself as Angela turned her back to him, a coy smile still playing on her lips. She picked up a shovel which had been leaning against a nearby tree and swung it around so that she was facing Dean. She planted the shovel into the dirt an inch away from Dean's extended legs and then leaned onto the shovel, smiling down at him. "You know," she licked her lips and smiled, "For a hunter, you were surprisingly easy to catch." She lifted the shovel and sauntered towards a large hole to Dean's right. The hole overshadowed Angela's statement and instead of working up a quick rebuttal he whipped his head around wildly trying to observe his surroundings in the dim moonlight. Scattered around the hole were a number of rocks and it didn't take long for Dean to realize that the hole Angela was digging was in the same location as where the rock formation had previously been.

"So," he said, attempting to distract Angela from her current task, "Do you work for her willingly or are you under her control?"

Dean's ploy was a success as Angela stopped digging and glared at him. "Are you really this dumb or are you just putting on a show for my amusement?" Dean furrowed his brows in response. Angela grinned at his confusion. She dropped the shovel to the ground as she stepped out of the hole and walked towards him. She squatted in front of him and Dean couldn't help but notice the similarities between her and Meg. He clenched his jaw at the mental image, feeling the anger bubble inside of him at not only Meg but at this new female foe.

Angela reached out gripping Dean's face with her hand and then leaned in, pressing her lips to Dean's with so much force that Dean's head was forced back harshly against the tree trunk. Dean tried to pull away but her grip was too strong. When she finally let go Dean turned his head to the side and spit, turning back to Angela with a disgusted scowl twisted onto his face. Angela smiled as she rose to her feet, "Sweetheart," she laughed, "I _am_ her." She gestured towards herself adding, "This body is just an instrument. I borrowed it so that I could perform this ceremony. And don't worry. 'Angela' will be just fine. As soon as I'm done she can have this little body back and go on with her life," She walked back over to the shovel, swishing her hips as she went, "You on the other hand," she said glancing back at Dean, "I can't say the same for. And it's a real shame too because you're quite attractive for a mortal."

Dean shook his head, "Yeah and it's a real shame too that the only time you can touch me is when I'm unconscious or tied up." Angela smirked as she redirected her attention to the hole and continued digging.

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"Does this car go any faster?" Shane complained.

Sam clenched his teeth. It was the third time Shane had complained about his driving. "I'm already doing 80." He hissed. "The last thing we need is to get pulled over for speeding."

With a sigh she leaned back into her seat, her eyes trained on the shotgun resting on her lap. She was finding it hard to sit still. The guilt inside of her was overpowering any sense of rational she had left within her.

In an attempt to make the time pass more quickly, Shane had taken to leafing through her portfolio of news clippings on a near constant basis since they had been on the road. When she had exhausted that source she had resorted to paging through John's journal much to Sam's dismay. The journal had been left of the front seat of the Impala and Sam understood Shane's need to keep her hands and mind busy and therefore didn't complain when she causally reached over and picked up the precious journal. He was just grateful that she hadn't decided to ask any questions concerning it. Now that she had tired of the journal she was toying with the shotgun, checking and double checking the barrel, making sure it was loaded correctly.

"How much further?" she asked, the darkened sky throwing off her perception of her surroundings. Shane kept her eyes trained on the gun, waiting for Sam's response but none came. "Sam?" she said, annoyed at his lack of a response. She looked over and saw him blinking rapidly, one hand rubbing his forehead while the other attempted to keep the car on the road. "Sam?" she said again, her annoyance giving way to concern. Sam's other hand suddenly released the steering wheel as he grabbed his head painfully, letting out a loud cry. Shane grabbed the wheel as the car veered to the left. Sam had lost all control of himself as well as the car. Shane, unsure what else to do, grabbed the emergency brake pulling it up causing the car to slam to a sudden stop. Both her and Sam were thrown forward slightly but no damage was done to either of them. She wasn't sure if she could say the same for the car but her concern was focused on Sam, not the Impala.

Sam's head was exploding with images. _He heard a scream, Dean's scream. Blood flowing to the ground. A fist connecting with Shane, taking her down. Dean's motionless body, blood covering his arms. The Asinaedo laughing and then an explosion._

Sam's eyes flew open as he gasped for air. The car was no longer on the road. It was halfway onto the shoulder of the road facing the woods. He looked to his right and saw Shane's worried face, her hand gripping the sleeve of his right arm. She was staring at him in shock.

"What the hell was that?" She half yelled at him.

"Vision." Sam muttered not really sure if Shane had heard him. He rubbed his forehead in an attempt to calm the pounding in his head. The images of the vision were far more disturbing than the pain in his head. Dean was in danger and as far as he could tell, so was Shane.

His eyes wondered back to the woods. "We're here." Sam said as he slid out of the Impala, making sure to cut the engine and take the keys with him.

"Are you sure?" Shane asked as she slipped out the car and grabbed her pack from the backseat. Sam nodded in response before grabbing his pack as well. The car was still parked at a slightly awkward angle but Sam had no patience to move it. He had to get to Dean before his vision came true.

"You ready?" Sam asked. Shane cocked the shotgun in response and the two headed into the ominous woods.

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Dean face was fixed with concentration as he rubbed the rope connecting his wrists against the rough tree bark. He was hoping that with enough friction the ropes would break. He had done it before but these particular ropes appeared to be unwilling to give way.

"It's not going to work." Angela's voice rang out. Dean glanced at her. Her back was still turned to him and the hole which she had been diligently digging had doubled in size. Dean shook his head and let out a sharp sigh before turning his efforts back to the unyielding ropes. "Stubborn, aren't you?" Angela said, turning her head slightly to smile at him.

"Yeah, well, I've never been the type to sit around and accept ritualistic sacrifice." Dean quipped as he felt a slight give in the ropes. Angela tuned her back once more, continued her digging. Her lack of concern towards Dean's ongoing escape attempt annoyed Dean. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree hoping it could give him more leverage.

"I'm actually surprised that you're 'friends' haven't attempted to rescue you yet." Angela said, her voice cutting through Dean's concentration. "I was looking forward to a little more of a fight." Dean snorted in response. He knew his brother was on his way but he was a little distraught at the length of time it was taking. "Or is it possible," Angela stopped digging for a second and stared off into the distance as if in deep thought, "that you weren't worth the trouble of rescuing?" The Asinaedo looked in Dean's direction, his eyes still shut, concentrating on the ropes.

"You obviously don't know the Winchester." Dean said, his voice remaining even, eyes still shut, hands working the ropes with all the energy he had left. "Just give him time." He added on in an almost hushed tone. The Asinaedo laughed and turned back to her work.

A loud thud echoes through the woods causing Dean to end his struggle with the ropes. His eyes flew open and he looked in the Asinaedo's direction. He could see a smile on Angela's face as she tossed the shovel to the side and reached down to caress something beneath her feet.

"Bingo." She laughed as she lifted a small mahogany box out of the hole and placed it on the ground. She then crawled out of the hole and smiled in Dean's direction.

"Time's up."


	6. Best Laid Plans of Mice & Men

**A/N: Thank you for everyone who's reviewed. You give me the drive to keep writing. So keep reviewing! Thanks.**

**Spoilers: Mild spoilers for "Nightmares" and "Asylum"**

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"Visions?" Shane asked as she pushed back a branch, trying to stay as close as possible to Sam in the barely lit forest, "You have visions?"

"Yeah, well it's kind of a new development for me." Sam tried to explain to her maintaining an awareness of his surrounds as he continued walking.

"So are these like Ms. Cleo visions or Johnny Smith from the Dead Zone type visions?" Shane asked the question with such sincerity that it almost caused Sam to laugh out loud.

"You and Dean," he grinned which earned him a dumb look from Shane, "Always relating things to T.V. and movies." He elaborated.

"I don't meet that many real life psychics so I'm really not sure who else to relate it too." Shane half joked but her response was barely heard by Sam whose thoughts had begun to wander.

Shane's reaction concerning his visions answered a few questions that he had been asking himself since he found out about the cause of Shane's mothers' death. He remembered the boy, Max, that he and Dean had met a few months ago. His mother had died the same way and like Sam, he had recently begun to develop some kind of strange ability. Now Sam had begun to wonder if a.) Shane too had an ability and was hiding it, b.) she had yet to develop an ability or c.) the fact that he and Max both had abilities was unrelated to the way their mothers had died.

Sam highly doubted the third option. In Sam's mind there was a slim possibility that the development of the abilities were unrelated to the demon and his mothers' death. After learning about Max's abilities the connections became too hard to deny and Sam had begun to blame himself for his mothers' death. He wondered if he should tell Shane that his visions were related to his mothers' death. Tell her it's possible that she may have an untapped ability and because of that ability a demon came into her house on the eve of her turning 6 month and had killed her mother. Should he be the one to tell her that it may be her fault that her mothers' dead? Sam could barely come to grips with the realization himself and having to bring that realization down on another person could break his and her heart. He wasn't sure if he was willing to do that.

"Sam?" Shane's voice cut through Sam's thoughts causing him to jump a little. He turned to face her and found that she was panting slightly, obviously out of breath given that Sam had sped up his pace and Shane's shorter legs were having a hard time keeping up. "You didn't answer my question." She breathed out.

"What question?"

Shane cocked her head to the side and sighed as if the question had been the most important question in the world and Sam was an idiot for forgetting it. "Ms. Cleo or Johnny Smith?"

Sam shook his head in disbelief. While he was still mildly amused by the question, he couldn't believe that Shane was harping on it at a time like this. Creeping through the woods in an effort to save his brother from an impending ritualistic death was not the time to be asking about television character comparisons.

"Ms. Cleo wasn't a psychic." He finally answered slowing his pace a little as he surveyed his surroundings. "She was a fake tarot card reader from Jersey. And I can't touch things and get visions like Johnny Smith." He turned his head and looked at Shane, "So, the answer is neither."

"Huh." Was the only response he got from her.

Sam carefully stepped over an upraised root and silently gestured to Shane to do the same. Shane, who was busy looking around, trying to visualize where the rock formation had been, didn't heed to Sam's warning. Her toe caught on the edge of the root and she stumbled forward, grabbing onto Sam's arm for support. Sam sighed heavily.

"What?" Shane mouthed, the annoyance evident in her expression.

Sam shook his head and took another step before a sound in the distance caught his attention. He put his arm out, halting Shane's movement. Shane looked at Sam in confusion for a second before the sound too caused her ears to perk up. Sam gestured for her to follow him as he slowly crept forward. The sound was growing louder and becoming more defined.

"_You obviously don't know the Winchesters_."

"Dean." Sam whispered, relieved at hearing his brothers voice. He glanced behind him and noticed that Shane was no longer there. He whipped his head to the side and saw her moving behind a large bush. "Shane!" he hissed after her. Shane popped her head out from behind the bush and gestured for him to follow her. Sam reluctantly did so, dropping to his knees once he was safely behind the bush and next to Shane. The gun that Shane had been cradling in the Impala was now back in her hands as she peeked through the bush, slowly pushing back some of the branches, allowing Sam to see into the clearing before them. There, sitting against a tree with his hands tied behind his back, was Dean. To Dean's right was a blonde female with a small wooden box at her feet. Sam's anger began to bubble inside of him. Shane's elbow tapping his side suddenly caught his attention. He turned and saw her anxious facing looking back at him.

"So," she asked, "What's the plan?"

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Dean's concentration was completely shattered as he watched the Asinaedo fingered the box, her smile doubling in size as she looked down at it as if in awe. She lifted it and carried it over towards Dean.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" the Asinaedo asked, her eyes never leaving the box. Dean knew her question not intended for him to respond but he scoffed anyway. His patience for this situation, this box, and most of all this demon chick was wearing thin.

"Whatever you say sweetheart." Dean said his voice consciously void of emotion.

The Asinaedo tucked the box carefully under her arm and sauntered over so that she was looming over Dean. Without warning Dean felt his head snap back as the Asinaedo's hand connected with his face.

Dean felt the anger well up inside of him. "I'm going to kick your ass!" he shouted as he tugged wildly at his binds.

"And I'm going to love hearing you scream." The Asinaedo whispered back.

Dean glared at her. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of hearing him scream no matter what she did. He licked his lip and tasted the blood beginning to spill from the cut the backhand had caused. He wasn't willing to allow her to spill any more of his blood but it seemed his time really was running out.

_Damnit Sammy, where the hell are you?_

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Sam almost jumped through the bush at the sight of his brother being viciously backhanded by the blonde woman. If it hadn't been for Shane's quick movement and firm hand pulling him back he would have blown their cover in a heartbeat. He bit his lip and managed to control his anger enough to strategize a plan.

"I distract the Asinaedo, you get Dean." Sam whispered as he reached for the gun clenched in Shane's hand. Shane moved the gun out of Sam's reach and shook her head.

"No, _I'll_ distract the Asinaedo, _you_ get Dean."

Sam ripped the gun out of Shane's hands. The gun brushed against the bush causing the leaves to ruffle slightly. Both Sam and Shane froze in their positions, Sam's hands planted firmly on the gun, Shane's hand in mid-air reaching towards the gun, both wide-eyed looking at each other. Shane slowly moved her hand towards the bush, moving a branch aside as she peeked out into the clearing. Neither Dean nor the Asinaedo made any indication that they had heard the disturbance. Sam turned to Shane, his face clearly indicating the anger that was being contained beneath the surface.

Shane looked at him apologetically before muttering, "You distract the Asinaedo, I get Dean." Sam nodded his appreciation and then swung his pack onto his back and moved away from the bush. Shane followed and the two circled the clearing so that they were still hidden from view but could make an easy and inconspicuous entrance when the time called for it. Both Sam and Shane crouched down, silently taking in the scene that was unfolding in the clearing.

Sam watched, his stomach churning as he saw the Asinaedo leaned in towards his brother. He lifted his hand so that Shane could see it clearly and slowly began to count down with his fingers.

5…4…3…2…1

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The Asinaedo had turned her back on Dean, her attention now completely absorbed by the box in her hands. She slowly placed the box on the ground next to the tree trunk, her eyes never straying from it.

"I never would've pinned you as one for idle threat."

Dean's voice suddenly broke through her concentration. The Asinaedo's gaze finally broke from the box and she looked down at Dean who was staring straight ahead, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Idle threat?" She asked.

"You know," Dean said, slowly glancing up at the Asinaedo who had moved so that she was standing directly in front of him, "making me scream. Why don't you get to it then?"

Normally Dean would have maintained some form of banter between him and his captor as an attempt to stall for time but not this time. While the Asinaedo had been distracted having her love affair with the box Dean had seen something move in the woods. He had heard carefully placed footsteps and the small click of a safety being released on a gun and was now well aware of the fact that he was no longer alone with the demon bitch.

"I never would've pinned you for someone who was so eager to die." The Asinaedo replied, mimicking Dean's smirk.

Dean rolled his eyes, "Better men than you have tried, sweetheart."

The Asinaedo leaned in and Dean braced himself for another hit but she simply smiled at him. "I'm going to make you bleed." She said, matter-of-factly.

Dean stared up at her, a small smile twisted onto his lips, "You first, bitch."

A loud thud echoed off the trees and the Asinaedo was sent stumbling forward. She crashed into Dean's extended legs and fell hard to the ground. Dean smiled up as his brother who still had the shotgun he had used to stun the Asinaedo clutched into his hands. Before Sam had a chance to acknowledge his brother the Asinaedo was back on her feet. Sam advanced towards her as Shane quickly ran to Dean's side.

"What the hell took you so long?" Dean complained, "Had to get your nails done?"

"Hey, Dean?" Shane said yanking hard of the ropes around Dean's wrists causing him to grimace, "Never patronize your rescuer."

"Just hurry up." Dean demanded as he turned his attention towards Sam and the Asinaedo. "Sam, be careful!" Dean yelled towards his brother, "Remember that she's only leasing that body!"

"I know Dean!" Sam barked back as the Asinaedo landed a kick to his knee causing him to drop to the ground. As Dean continued to watch the fight he suddenly realized that the Asinaedos' means of attack had changed drastically since she had obtained a body. Instead of using her power to freeze she was using hand to hand combat.

"Shane." Dean twisted his head to look at his cousin.

"I'm working on it!" she said angrily as she gave up on trying to untie the ropes and resorted to rooting through her bag for a knife.

"No, listen. She's not using her Jedi mind trick, make-you-freeze-in-your-tracks thingy."

"And?" Shane asked, her focus still on the bag and finding the knife.

"And maybe her powers are weakened when she's possessing someone. Maybe we can use that to our advantage. Perform the exorcism when she's in human form and that way she can't attack us like she did before. Do you have an exorcism ritual in your book?"

Shane hesitated, "No, not real-"

"You don't have _one_ exorcism ritual in that whole book?" Dean asked in disbelief.

"It's a beginners guide to witchcraft and it only has spells dealing with demonic possession on objects."

Dean shook his head. "Knowing what you could be dealing with why the hell would you get that book?"

"It was the only one the library had." Shane shrugged.

"Great," Dean muttered, "Do you have my Dad's journal?"

"It's in the car," Shane remembered as she finally pulled the knife from the bag.

Meanwhile Sam had the Asinaedo at gunpoint. He knew the rock salt wouldn't have the same effect on her since she was in a human body but if the incident back at Roosevelt Asylum were any indication of rock salts effect on humans he figured that it'd be good enough to distract her for the time being. But, before he had a chance to pull the trigger the Asinaedo kicked out and knocked the gun from his hand and then with almost inhuman speed she barreled towards him and slammed her fist into his nose causing him to stumble backwards and fall right on top of Shane.

"Damnit Sam." Shane said as Sam rolled off of her.

"Sorry." Sam muttered as he wiped the blood from his nose.

All three Winchesters were now laying at the Asinaedo feet, mildly stunned by the Three Stooges routine that had just taken place. The Asinaedo weighed her options. Her victim was still tied to the tree, the taller one was now disarmed and attempting to regain his footing while rubbing his sore ribs and nose, and then she looked down and saw the female holding a knife. The decision was made for her. She quickly descended on Shane knocking the knife out of her hands and sending it flying across the clearing.

"Shane!" Sam yelled.

"I got it Sam." Shane called back as she landed a rolling kick to the Asinaedo's midsection leaving her stunned her a second, "Get Dean."

"Sammy," Dean said before Sam had a chance to begin working on the ropes, "Get Dad's journal, now! We need to use that exorcism spell."

"I'm not leaving you." Sam said, his voice filled with concern and fear at the idea of leaving his older brother vulnerable.

"Just go. I'll be fine." Dean ordered.

"Shane?" Sam said to Dean, grasping at straws trying to activate Dean's need to protect people who he saw as innocent and in need of protection. No matter how much of a hunter Shane claimed or even proved to be, Dean still saw her as one of those people. Unfortunately Sam's attempt to sway his brother's order for him to leave failed when Shane overhear and interjected.

Even though the Asinaedo had her hand firmly planted around Shane throat she managed to rasp out, "Go!"

Sam glanced once more at his brother before complying and racing out into the woods and towards the car, silently praying that he'd be able to find his way back to his brother and cousin before it was too late.

Dean watched his brother go then directed his attention back to the Asinaedo who had Shane pinned to the ground, her hands around Shane's throat. Shane had managed to land a few good blows to the Asinaedo head but her knowledge that the girl she was hitting was actually an innocent bystander had weakened her hits and the Asinaedo had managed to overpower her. Shane was kicking her legs wildly and clawing at the Asinaedo hands trying desperately to get air into her lungs.

"Hey!" Dean yelled trying to get the Asinaedo attention but her attention didn't waver from the activity at hand. "Angela!" Dean yelled feeling liked he was running out of options. "Asinaedo bitch!" The Asinaedo finally responded glancing over at Dean and releasing some of her hold on Shane. Shane sucked in air and slumped back against the ground, too winded to even try to get the Asinaedo off of her.

"Let her go." Dean said, "You got me. You wanna make me bleed right?" Dean raised an eyebrow, "I'm right here!" The Asinaedo smiled at him and rose to her feet. She reached down and picked up the rope that had spilled out of Shane's bag during the struggle. She pulled Shane up to a seated position and leaned her against a tree directly in front of Dean, tying her hands in a similar fashion. Dean waited until he saw that Shane's breathing had returned to normal before he smiled at her.

"That was a great rescue plan." Dean quipped.

Shane rolled her eyes, "Shut up."


	7. Plan B

**I've been forgetting to put disclaimers in each chapter but just in case you thought I owned Supernatural, I don't. I don't own Sam, I don't own Dean. I do however own Shane but if I had the chance to make a trade with Kripke, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Love the girl, but I love my boys more lol.**

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Sam made it back to the car in record time, his legs aching and his lungs on fire. He found the Impala untouched and still parked at an awkward angle. He fumbled with the keys for a minute before jamming the appropriated one into the keyhole. He grabbed the door handle and swung the door open a little too roughly. He knew Dean wouldn't have appreciated his use of force on the door but at the moment Sam could care less. His mind was still back in that clearing. He'd made a few unnecessary mistakes and now time was the only weapon he had against saving his brother and now his cousin as well.

He reached into the front seat and grabbed the journal which was still lying in the middle of the seat where Shane had left it. He tucked into his coat pocket, slammed the door shut and took off towards the clearing. He threw caution to the wind as he crashed through the woods, carelessly shoving branches out of his way and stomping through dried leaves scattered on the ground. The Asinaedo was expecting him this time so there was no need for creeping. He had to get to Dean before it was too late.

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Shane could see the knife that the Asinaedo had knocked out of her hand peeking out from under a small shrub to her right as if taunting her. She twisted her body as much as she could and extended her leg as far as it would allow. Her toe just barely touched the knife. She stole a glance at the Asinaedo who was busy arranging a makeshift altar behind Dean. The box was placed directly behind Dean so that his hands were inches away from it. Around the box she had positioned a semi-circle of candles. The Asinaedo was so focused on setting up her ritual and Dean was so caught up in hurling insults and smart aleck remarks at her that neither noticed as Shane slowly inched the knife closer to her and was eventually able to wrap her fingertips around it and conceal it behind her back.

She cautiously looked back at the Asinaedo and found her shooting a cold stare in her direction. Shane jerked backwards, fearing that she had been caught.

"So," the Asinaedo said, "What is she to you?"

Although the Asinaedo was staring directly at her Shane realized that the question was being directed towards Dean. Shane exhaled, relieved at knowing that her concealed weapon was still a secret.

Dean, who had been watching the Asinaedo the whole time, now slowly glanced at Shane and then back to the Asinaedo. "Her?" he asked, "She's just a pain in my ass." Dean smiled. Shane shrugged. It was the truth. Since she had met Sam and Dean she had excelled at being a pain in both of their asses. It was part of her M.O. and while she'd never admit it this soon, she enjoyed this new family dynamic that she'd been catapulted into.

"Well in that case," the Asinaedo removed the knife that she had tucked into her waistband, "you won't mind if I put her out of her misery."

Dean's eyes widened at seeing the knife. "Wait, no!"

The Asinaedo turned to look at him, "Why not? You yourself said she's a pain in the ass and I need any more of those. Besides, I don't need her for the ceremony," she began to walk towards Shane, "So what's the point of keeping her around?"

"Listen!" Dean yelled again, stopping the Asinaedo in her tracks. She turned back and looked at him. Dean glanced up at the sky and the Asinaedo followed his gaze, "You're losing the full moon. Do the ceremony, leave Shane out of this. When this is all over, you'll have your powers restored and you can leave Shane, Angela and my brother alone." Dean said it with such force that it came out more of an order than a proposal.

The Asinaedo nodded, the smile melting off her face as she pulled a small lighter out of her pocket and crouched down behind Dean. "Just remember," she whispered into Dean's ear, "you asked for this."

"You didn't give me much of a choice though, did you?" Dean said, distinctly remembering a gun colliding with his head. His demand for the Asinaedo to do the ceremony was not his asking for it. It was simply his way of controlling the situation.

The Asinaedo began to light the candles as she chanted an incantation, her voice growing louder with each candle. Dean felt her grab his hands. She pulled the ropes tighter so that his hands were drawn closer together. She then placed his hands on top of the box. Shane's eyes met Deans'. _Do something_, she mouthed but Dean simply turned his head, averting her eyes. He wasn't sure what he could do. At this point attempting to escape would result in the Asinaedo retaliating on Shane. Dean knew Sammy was coming back. Although patience had never been Dean's strong suit, he was hoping he'd be able to wait for him.

Shane quickly began sawing away at the ropes holding her. She had just found this family and she'd be damned if she sat idly by and watched it get taken from her the same way as her mother and father had been taken.

As Shane continued to saw her eyes remained trained on the Asinaedo and Dean. She watched the Asinaedo slowly brought the knife up to her lips. She pressed a kiss onto the blade and then uttered a few words that Shane didn't understand. She slowly lifted the knife above her head and then drove the knife down into Dean's arm.

Dean cried out as the knife bit into his flesh. Shane nearly jumped out of her skin at hearing the Asinaedo laugh at Dean's pain. The sound only fueled her anger and she began working even harder at freeing herself from the ropes.

The blood began pouring down Dean's arm at an alarming speed. If the pain didn't do the trick then the speed of the blood was a strong indicator that the cut was obviously deep. Dean knew his face read of pain but he still managed a weak smile in Shane's direction. Shane however was obviously not buying his act. She glared at him, a mixture of panic, anger and annoyance in her eyes.

Before Dean had a chance to offer Shane another reassuring glance or word he felt the knife plunge into his other arm with the same force and depth as the last. He only grimaced this time, biting his lips to keep from allowing any sound to escape. The Asinaedo smiled in return.

"I'm going to kill you, bitch!" Shane shouted, "And enjoy every second of it!"

The Asinaedo smiled at Shane's threat, "By the time you manage that," she grabbed a handful of Dean's hair and pulled his head back, "Dean here will already be dead."

Shane saw that Dean's eyes were unfocused and his body had gone mildly limp. It looked as though the fight had been ripped right out of him. The Asinaedo released Dean's hair and Shane watched in horror as his head lolled forward and rested against his chest.

"Dean!" she yelled in panic.

"I'm fine," Came Dean's weak response, "Just…dizzy."

"Dizzy," the Asinaedo echoed as he rubbed her forehead and took a step backwards. She shook her head violently and then pressed a finger to each of her temples. Shane immediately thought that the ceremony had begun to take affect; that the Asinaedo soul was somehow being restored to her.

That is until she heard Latin words being uttered from behind her. She glanced back at the Asinaedo and saw her wipe away a trail of blood that had begun to seep from her nose. Shane smiled realizing what was going on.

Sam slowly emerged from the woods, his dad's journal balanced in his left hand, a bottle of holy water in his right. Sam's voice grew louder and the Asinaedo spun around to face him. She glanced from the journal, to the holy water and then slowly raised her eyes to meet Sam's.

"Is the power of Christ supposed to compel me now?" she asked with a forced smile even though it was evident that the Latin words were causing her great pain.

Shane kept her eyes trained on the encounter between Sam and the Asinaedo but a snapping sound from behind her stole her attention. She pulled her hands out in front of her and looked at them in shock like a baby who'd just discovered that they had hands. She quickly recovered and tossed the ropes that had been menacing her to the side. She jumped to her feet and ran to Dean's side, dropped to her knees once she was there.

"Dean?" she said as she lifted his head up.

A muffled, "What?" was his only reply.

_At least he's still able to talk_, Shane thought as he reached behind and began cutting the ropes. She almost froze at the sight of his arms completely soaked red and the trail of blood that had begun to pool on top of the box and drip down the sides. As soon as the ropes were cut Dean's body drooped forwards. He would have fallen flat on his face had Shane's hand planted on his chest not stopped him. Shane pulled him into her and his head dropped onto her shoulder.

"Dean?" she said again, "Are you still with me?"

"No, I'm in Mexico." He slurred. Shane managed a weak smile as Dean looked up at her, his eyes still slightly unfocused but Shane could tell he was still there. She carefully laid him down on the ground and pulled his arms in front of him. The bleeding was continuing at a steady rate. Shane quickly shrugged her jacket off her shoulders and pulling Dean's arms together, she wrapped it tightly around them, making sure to put enough pressure so that the bleeding slowed. The cuts on Dean's arms would require stitches and at the rate he was bleeding Shane knew that by the time they made it to a hospital he would have already lost too much blood.

Shane could hear Sam still chanting the Latin words. She looked in his direction and saw him cradling the book, slowly approaching the Asinaedo. With every step he took the Asinaedo would take a step back, a scowl distorting her features as she grabbed her head and occasionally cried out in pain.

Shane took this as opportunity to run to the spilled contents of her bag and grab the first-aid kit that she had thoughtfully tucked inside. She had taken a first aid course in high school but had never actually sewn anyone up. She could only hope that Dean had a high threshold for pain because most likely, this was going to hurt like hell.

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Sam dared to stop reading for a second to steal a glance at his brother. Dean's eyes were half shut and Sam could see Shane leaning over him obviously dressing his wounds. Although Sam was glad for Shane's help he secretly wished it was him helping Dean, not Shane. After all it was his brother. But then again, without Shane it would have been next to impossible to exorcise the Asinaedo and rescue Dean at the same time.

A small grunt from in front of him pulled his attention away from Shane and Dean. The Asinaedo seemed to be slowly regaining her strength. Sam wouldn't allow it. In a forceful voice he continued to reading the words. The Asinaedo doubled over in pain as the chanting continued.

"Stop," she begged, "Please."

The Asinaedo's eyes met Sam's and for a second Sam felt a pang of sympathy. But one sideways glance at his brother refueled his anger and his words grew louder.

The Asinaedo fell to her knees. Her eyes, which were now staring down Sam, suddenly turned black and her head snapped back as an unearthly cry left her mouth. A thick stream of black smoke came flowing out of her mouth with such force that it nearly knocked Sam off of his feet.

At the same time, the box containing the Asinaedo soul began to shake. Sam watched as white sparks began to fly from the box like a mini fireworks show. Shane, who was sitting closer to the box than Sam, shielded her and Dean from the brightness streaming from the box. Sam had wondered whether the exorcism would have any effect on the box or whether a separate exorcism would have to be preformed. The sudden shaking of the box answered his question.

The black smoke suddenly stopped spewing from the Asinaedo's mouth and the light from the box doubled in brightness. A loud roar rippled through the clearing as the box exploded and sizzled for a second. When the light dispersed, Sam saw that the box had turned to ash. Sam stared at it wordlessly for a moment before he looked back at the crumpled body that used to house the Asinaedo. He walked towards her, and kneeled down. He pressed his finger to her neck and checked for a pulse.

A low moan escaped Angela's lips as she felt Sam fingers on her. She looked up at him and pulled back slightly, swiveling her head around in fear.

"Where am I?" she asked, "Who are you?"

Sam backed away, noticing her discomfort at having him so close to her. Sam looked around the clearing, at the half melted candles, the blood stained rope discarded next to the tree, the assorted weapons strewn on the ground, the huge hole in the ground, and lastly at his brother and cousin who were both looking at him with the same expression of, _'what should we tell her'._

He decided against any true explanation, realizing that it would be entirely too confusing and too long to sound the least bit copasetic. So instead he chose the cop out answer. He gave her his patent half smile and said, "Next time, you should really slow down on the vodka shots." Angela stared at him for a second before nodding slowly and then reaching out to take Sam's extended hand. "Come on," he said helping her to her feet, "We'll take you home."

Shane had begun stuffing the weapons and scattered equipment back into her pack and quickly returned to Dean's side to help him to his feet.

"You okay?" Sam asked his brother as Angela leaned against him.

Dean nodded, "Peachy." He said with a smirk, his arm around Shane's shoulders. "Could use a drink though and maybe a hot blonde." Noticing the look on Sam's face, Dean added, "You know, one that isn't possessed by a vengeful demon bitch."

Thankfully the comment was lost on Angela who was still looking around the clearing in bewilderment. Both Sam and Shane shook their heads.

"Come on," Sam said, "Let's get the hell out of here."

And with that all four headed back to the Impala.

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**TBC….**

**Don't stop reading now. There's still one more chapter to go.**


	8. Tying Up Loose Ends

The ride back to the motel was eerily quite. As expected Dean had thrown a fit at seeing his car haphazardly parked and abandoned. Sam had attempted to explain why the car was left in its current state only to be met by a 20 minute lecture by Dean on the proper handling of his car and how his driving privileges would be revoked if he didn't comply in the future. Sam simply nodded in agreement, not believing a word of the threat considering that at the moment he was the one driving the car while Dean sat in back and nursed his wounds. After Dean's rant ended silence had blanketed the car.

Angela didn't speak a word except for the occasional command of 'left' or 'right' as she gave Sam directions back to her house. None of the Winchesters truthfully believed that Angela bought the explanation that she had been fed. Dean had explained to her how they had met in the bar and had begun discussing the local legend about a ghost who kills farmers. Then, after a few too many drinks, they had all wandered into the woods to see if the legend was true. Dean had managed to fall and cut himself on a rock and that of course was when Angela woke up and ironically, she was no longer drunk.

Angela had raised an eyebrow at the story but hadn't uttered a word about doubting it. It didn't really matter if she did. By the time she managed to retell the odd tale to her friends or God forbid the local authorities, Sam, Dean and Shane would be far away from this small town hell.

As directed, Sam dropped Angela off a block away from her house. Sam theorized that she didn't want any of them knowing the exact location of her house, most likely out of fear. She mumbled a quick 'goodbye' and 'thanks for the ride' before slipping out of the front seat and hurrying off towards her house. She twisted her head around once to glance back at the car full of watching eyes before picking up her pace and scurrying down the street.

Sam waited until she was fully out of view before he revved the engine and sped off towards the direction of the motel. The rest of the ride was filled with the sounds of Metallica which Dean had insisted Sam blast from the stereo and Sam's occasional question of "are you okay?" directed towards the back seat where Dean and Shane were seated, Dean steadily lip-synching to the music, Shane resting her head against the window in an unsuccessful attempt at sleep.

At a little after 3:30 am Sam pulled into the motel parking lot and jammed the car into park. Half an hour later the three of them were in the motel room working out sleeping arrangements. There were only two beds and three people to accommodate.

"I'm wounded, I get a bed." Dean smirked as he slipped off his shoes and hopped into the bed closest to the door. Shane was amazed at how quickly Dean had regained his strength. On minute he's leaning on her for support, the next he's only swaying slightly as he makes his way into the motel room.

"I don't mind taking the floor." Shane replied as she pulled a spare blanket out of the closet only to have it ripped away from her by Sam.

"No," he said, holding the blanket above his head and out of Shane's reach as she grabbed for it, "you can take the bed."

Shane dropped her hands in mock surrender. "Well, I've never been one to argue." She smiled as she sat down on the bed that had previously belonged to Sam.

"Liar." Dean said as he slipped under the covers. Shane smiled at him and shrugged.

Sam grabbed the extra pillow from under Dean's head, earning him a punch to the arm. He dropped the pillow on the floor between the two beds and curled up with the blanket. Fifteen minutes later, soft snores and the rustling of sheets filled the room as all three drifted off to sleep.

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The next morning, well more like afternoon since none of the occupants of the motel room cracked their eyes open until well after noon, was an insightful one for all of the Winchesters present.

Sam had woken up first and was surprised to see his brother's eyes open a half an hour later. After the usual half asleep morning greetings and hot showers, Sam asked Dean to sit down so that they could have a talk. Dean rolled his eyes. Sam almost always tried to force some form of heart to heart conversation after a near death experience and Dean had grown tired of trying to deflect them.

They were now sitting in the Impala in front of the motel room so that they're talking wouldn't wake Shane.

"So what'd you wanna talk about?" Dean asked cynically, "You wanna have an Oprah moment? Talk about our feelings and hug it out?"

Sam shook his head, trying to hide the smile that had formed. "No, it's not like that."

Dean shot him a sideways glance, "Then what? You're gonna lecture me on the consequences of going to a bar without a chaperone?"

"I'm not the one feeling the guilt on that." Sam replied. Dean looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Sam gestured towards the motel room window with his chin. Dean allowed his eyes to follow. "You scared the crap out of her by going missing like that."

Dean rubbed his forehead, "You know I didn't mean too."

Sam nodded in understanding. He wanted to get to the real reason he had sat Dean down for this talk but was unsure how to begin. He decided to just cut to the chase. "Her mom," Sam began but paused. Dean leaned in towards him imploring him to continue, "The demon took her like he took our mom." Dean exhaled sharply. A sense of understanding suddenly settled over him. The loss of her mother explained why her defenses were clamped so tightly around her. And Dean should know, he maintained the same demeanor. Fortunately for him, he had Sam to deflect those guards when the time called for it.

"And her Dad," Sam continued, "was killed by a werewolf."

"Jesus." Dean shook his head glancing back at the window. "Well, that explains a lot." Dean said with a vague shrug.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, I know." He looked back at Dean, "Just thought you should know."

"Thanks." Dean replied.

They both exited the Impala and headed for the motel room. Upon entering they saw Shane making the bed. The fact that she was awake didn't surprise them, it was her outfit that took them aback. Shane was donning a blue floral sundress, strappy black sandals and strings of layered pearls hung around her neck.

Dean cleared his throat causing Shane to stand up straight and look at them.

"Hey guys," she smiled. She then glanced self consciously at herself when she noticed them staring at her with confusion.

"Going somewhere?" Dean asked.

Shane smiled and soothed down her dress, "No, the hunts over." She explained, "I'm allowed to be girly now." The statement forced a laugh out of both Sam and Dean.

"I'm going back to the clearing." Sam finally said as he reached out and snatched the car keeps from Dean. "I wanna fill that hole up before someone stumbles onto it. Or into it."

"I'll go with you." Shane said as she advanced towards Sam.

"Dressed like that?" Sam asked eyeing her up, "I don't think so."

"I can change." Shane said mildly hurt.

Sam laughed, "It's okay, just stay here and relax."

"I'll go with you then." Dean said as he reached for his jacket.

"No," Sam said as he backed towards the door, "you're still recovering."

Dean scoffed, "I'm fine."

Sam shook his head, "Stay here Dean. Watch T.V., don't wander off to any bars." Dean rolled his eyes as Sam exited with a smile on his face. Dean waited until he heard the reeve of the engine before he turned his attention to Shane who had taken a seat at the kitchen table in the corner of the room and was absently flipping channels. Dean sat in the chair next to her and stared at the T.V.

He glanced at her occasionally as if studying her. He sighed carefully before asking, "How'd you do it?"

Shane glanced at him before turning back to the T.V., "Do what?" she asked.

Dean hesitated. He wasn't entirely sure how Shane would handle the series of questions that he intended to ask. But his curiosity and need to feel the connection that he and Shane shared prevailed over his desire to be discreet.

"You lost both your parents but you still manage to be so," Dean paused searching for the right word, "strong."

Shane licked her lips and muted the T.V. She placed the remote on the table in front of her and turned all her attention to Dean.

"Sam told you?" She asked. Dean nodded. "Remind me to kick his ass when he gets back." She smiled but the smile wasn't reciprocated from Dean. He was obviously in desperate need of knowing the answer. "I handled it by turned my life into a mission to kill anything with the connection to or the ability to destroy someone's family like mine was destroyed. The same as you."

Dean shook his head, "It's not the same though." He insisted, "I had Sam and my dad, you were-"

"Alone?" Shane cut him off. She shrugged. "It hurt for awhile. I cried for awhile. Blamed myself for awhile. But eventually everything went numb and I was blinded by the mission." Shane paused, "I don't cry anymore."

"You sure about that?" Dean asked noticing the tears beginning to well in Shane's eyes. She turned her face away from him and blinked rapidly, suppressing the tears.

"I don't mean to sound like a dead philosopher or something but," she turned her face back to Dean, the unshed tears less noticeable, "my strength is fueled by my pain."

"I'm sorry." Dean sighed, unsure what to say. He knew how if felt to lose a parent and no words imaginable could ever remove that pain.

"You don't have to be sorry." Shane said, "It wasn't your fault." _It was mine_, she thought to herself. "Anyway, I do what I gotta do now. I survive." Shane shrugged, "Besides, it's not that bad being alone. At least you don't have to worry about people wandering off and getting caught by crazy blonde possessed girls." She smirked.

Dean laughed. He looked at her for a second before reaching out and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Yeah well, you're not alone anymore." He gave Shane's shoulder a squeeze and smiled, "You got us."


End file.
